Basics of Attributes and Relationships of...Basics of Attributes and Relationships June 22, 2018...

Basics of Attributes and Relationships


June 22, 20181

Kate James, RDA Examples EditorPresented at “A Practical Introduction to

the New RDA Toolkit”June 22, 2018

New Orleans, La.

Basics of Attributes and Relationships June 22, 20182

Terminology

• Domain: entity that the element belongs to

• Range: entity that a relationship element points to

• Properties: RDA elements including relationship designators; term used in RDA Registry

• Class: an RDA entity; term used in RDA Registry

• High-level relationship: a relationship between two entities with no refinement of the nature of the relationship (e.g., related agent of work)

(definitions based on RSC Chair’s papers and comments and Registry information)


Beta Glossary Definitions• Element: a word, character, or group of words

or characters representing a distinct unit of bibliographic information

• Attribute element: an element that is expected to be recorded as an unstructured description

• Relationship element: an element that relates two entities

Two of these definitions may need rethinking. We’ll see why later….


Original vs. Beta Organization

June 22, 20184

Original:• Attributes are usually in

one or two chapters• Work attributes are in ch 6-7

• Relationships are scattered• Work relationships are in ch 17,

19, 23, and 25

• Relationship designators in Appendixes

• Link to RDA Registry from Resources Tab

Beta:• Attributes and

relationships are together!• All listed in the elements

section for the entity

• Relationship designators have become elements

• Registry labels and domain and range in Element Reference


Relationship Designators

Become

Relationship Elements


From Designator to Element: Genesis• Relationship designators live in a no man’s land

in original Toolkit• They are not attributes• They are not properly relationship elements because

they are not contained in chapters 19, 20, etc.• They are Appendixes I-M, after instructions on

recording B.C. and A.D. dates

• And yet, relationships are a principle that governs RDA and one of the two kinds of elements


From Designator to Element: Exodus

• Creator is a relationship element

• Composer is a type of creator

• Therefore, composer is a relationship element


From cadenza (work) to cadenza work• From original Toolkit:

• cadenza (work): A musical work consisting of an ornamental passage for a soloist, added to a musical work such as a concerto, either by the same or a different composer.

• From beta Toolkit:• cadenza work: A musical work that is an

ornamental passage for a soloist added to a musical work, such as a concerto, by the same or a different composer.


current Registry label

From Designator to Element• Elements in the Registry have a domain and may have a range• Exception is meta-elements that are being deprecated

• The range does not appear here because this screenshot is from the Work properties Index

• For this element, the range is “work” • Entity in domain + range = relationship element


Beta Toolkit: cadenza work• Element Reference:

• Domain: Work• Range: Work• Alternate label: has cadenza work

• Values for domain and range work entities are given in human-readable and URI forms

• The labels for the class and element are imported via URIs given in the example’s XML

• If the labels change in the OMR, the example will change


Relationships

Become



From Relationship to Relationship Element• Relationships are elements in the original Toolkit

so this is just a wording change• In the original Toolkit, relationships are refined

by designators• Owner is refined by former owner

• Reminder—a relationship element relates two entities, e.g., related item of manifestation, creator of work, etc.


From creator to creator of work

• From original Toolkit:• creator: A person, family, or

corporate body responsible for the creation of a work.

• From beta Toolkit:• creator of work: An agent who is

responsible for a work.


current Registry label

From Designator to Element• Range is given as “agent” rather than 3 ranges of “person,” “family,” and “corporate body”• Range appears here because this is from the object

properties• Entity in domain + range = relationship element


Beta Toolkit: creator of work• Element Reference:

• Domain: Work• Range: Agent• Alternate labels: has creator of work• Recording methods: identifier, IRI,

structured description, unstructured description

• Differences from original Toolkit:• can record using unstructured description• domain added to label to make it unique from

a new element• can use it like a relationship designator if more

specificity is not wanted


AttributesBecome

Attribute Elements or



From Attribute to Attribute Element• “Attribute” was never defined in original Toolkit, but

we know • it is an element• it is not a relationship (which is also an element)

• Attribute element• defined in beta TK glossary “as an element that is expected to be

recorded as an unstructured description”• Several elements listed as “Attributes” can be recorded

using all 4 methods, e.g., language of person• Better definitions?

• an element with no range• an element that does not connect two entities


From profession or occupation to profession or occupation

• From original Toolkit:• profession or occupation: A person's

vocation or avocation.

• From beta Toolkit:• profession or occupation: A vocation or

avocation.


Beta Toolkit: profession or occupation

• Element Reference:• Domain: Person• no Range for this element• Alternate labels: has profession or

occupation• Recording methods: structured

description, unstructured description• should include identifier and IRI

• Attribute element or Relationship element?• Multiple recording methods

• does not fit attribute element definition• Does not relate two entities

• does not fit relationship element definition


From Attribute to Relationship Element• New entities Nomen and Timespan have turned several

attributes into relationship elements• name of corporate body• title of work• date of birth

• Further development of Place entity has also turned some attributes into relationship elements

• location of conference, etc.• place of death

• Many elements renamed to include both entities• date associated with person = related timespan of person• place associated with corporate body = related place of corporate

body


From variant title for work to variant title of work

• From original Toolkit:• variant title for work: A title or form of

title by which a work is known that differs from a title or form of title chosen as a preferred title for the work.

• From beta Toolkit:• variant title of work: A title of work that is

not selected for preference in a specific application or context.


Beta Toolkit: variant title of work• Element Reference:

• Domain: Work• Range: Nomen• Alternate labels: has variant title of work• Recording methods: unstructured

description

• Attribute element or Relationship element?• Record using unstructured

description only• Attribute element definition

• Relates two entities• Relationship element

definition


From place associated with corporate body to

• From current Toolkit:• place associated with corporate body: A

significant location associated with a corporate body.

• From beta Toolkit:• related place of corporate body: A place

that is associated with a corporate body.

related place of corporate body


Beta Toolkit: related place of corporate body

• Element Reference:• Domain: Corporate Body• Range: Place• Alternate labels: has related place of

corporate body, place associated with corporate body, other place associated with corporate body

• Recording methods: all

• Attribute element or Relationship element?• Multiple recording methods

• does not fit attribute element definition• Relates two entities

• relationship element definition


Using the Relationship Matrix• The Relationship Matrix is a look-

up tool for relationship elements• It replaces Appendixes I-M • The Matrix is located in the

RESOURCES picklist

• You won’t find The Oracle there


Relationship Matrix Lists

June 22, 201826

Entities are listed in alphabetical order a list of high-level relationship elements. There is no hierarchy in the entity listings (e.g., Person and Agent

are at the same level).


Relationship Matrix in Action

• Situation: relating the person Anne Rice to the work Interview with the Vampire

• Relationship: “author of” from the current Toolkit

I’ll use the Relationship Matrix to get from the relationship designator I know to the element


First Attempt

• Since Anne Rice is a person, I picked Person to Work

• Why isn’t “author of listed” here?• Because person is not the domain of “author of”


Second Attempt

• Since a person is an agent, I picked Agent to Work

• Now I see “author of” because any type of agent can be an author• The Matrix just taught me the domain of “author of”


Using the Entity List of Elements• All the entities have a list of their elements• The search box is predictive so I don’t have to type

in the entire element to find it.

• The technique has two of the same weaknesses the Matrix does:

• I need the domain• I need the beginning of

the element name


Using the Search Filters: Keyword• If I select

“Elements” and search “author”, I will get elements with that word

• Although I have multiple elements to pick from, I don’t need to know the domain


Using the Search Filters: Former Element Name

• If the former element name is an alternate label, it will show up in the elements search

• I don’t need to know the domain or the range

• This depends on having the former element as an alternate label


Definitions Revisited• Element: a word, character, or group of words or

characters representing a distinct unit of bibliographic information

Have we gone beyond words and characters?

• Attribute element: an element that is expected to be recorded as an unstructured description

Should this definition be changed, or...

• Relationship element: an element that relates two entities

Does it still matter what kind of element it is?

Basics of Attributes and Relationships of...Basics of Attributes and Relationships June 22, 2018...

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